The present invention relates to artificial bait and more particularly to an artificial bait adapted for fishing, and especially commercial fishing.
A variety of artificial fish baits have been developed using a variety of attractants in many delivery matrices. None of the baits developed thus far, however, are especially adapted to commercial fishing, for example longline fishing where the bait must be secured on a hook and then exposed to a salt water environment for a substantial period of time. Many of the prior artificial baits are not easily applied to a hook, especially when automatic baiting machines are employed to bait the hooks. Additionally, while the bait must remain on the hook for a long period of time upon contact with water, once the hook is retrieved to the fishing boat, the bait must also be easily removable from the hooks. Moreover, the bait must have the capability of allowing a timed release of the attractant from the bait to continuously attract fish to the hook over an extended period of time, must be biodegradable, and must have the feel of natural bait.
One artificial bait that attempts to meet the foregoing requirements is disclosed in Burreson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,174, issued Nov. 21, 1989. This patent discloses an artificial bait comprising a mat of randomly crossed fibers of a fibrous material, and a fluid mass of dissolved gelatin or pectin and attractant dispersed throughout the fibrous mat. While the bait is retained reasonably well on a hook, it is sometimes difficult to remove from the hook because the barb becomes caught in the fibrous mat. Moreover, because a fibrous mat is used, it is difficult to formulate and form into the desired shape. For example, it is difficult to thoroughly and evenly mix the mat, gel, and attractant disclosed by Burreson et al. Moreover, the bait of Burreson et al. can only be molded into a desired shape. It cannot be extruded and then cut into desired lengths because of the presence of the fibrous mat. In addition, the Burreson et al. formulation does not lend itself to continuous processing because of the time required in the mold for the gelatin- and pectin-based bait to set.